The "mysterious principle" Master Linji Yixuan (the founder of Rinzai Zen) is centered on direct, spontaneous awareness. He taught us to stop seeking enlightenment outside of ourselves in scriptures, Buddha figures, or even the concept of Nirvana and to recognize our own true unconditioned nature. There is nothing to gain, no path to follow, and nothing special to achieve. True liberation is simply having enough confidence in yourself to stop looking for it and live in awareness as an ordinary person.

The Heart Sutra, possibly the best known text of Mahayana Buddhism, is said to be the pure distillation of wisdom (prajna). Perhaps because of both its profundity and brevity, the Heart Sutra is the most familiar of all the original teachings of the Buddha. An English translation can easily be printed on one side of a piece of paper. Also the Sino-Japanese version of the Sutra lends itself well to chanting. The Heart Sutra seeks to cut our dualistic thinking at the root.

In Zen we are taught that we have everything within us to be awakened and enlightened. However, we, in our conditioned mind, create barriers that hold us back from tapping into our authentic self and to live how we are meant to. How many times do we miss what is right in front of us? How can we see what we need to see? Let us explore these questions and share our lived experiences on this path.